And finally…Performance enhancing games see Tunnock’s sell 15 million extra teacakes

Uddingston-based confectionery producer Tunnock’s has revealed that it sold a staggering 15 million extra of its famous teacakes after their high-profile, anthropomorphic showing at Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony last year.

As well as sales going through the roof for the tasty treats, guided tours of the company’s factory are also fully booked until 2017.

The ceremony, which featured performers dancing around Celtic Park in Tunnock’s teacake costumes, boosted latest figures released by the company showing 15 million extra teacakes have been sold that over 12 months since the opening ceremony.



This means the ceremony is also being credited for what is a record turnover for the company of £50m.

The huge increase in demand has meant Tunnock’s have had to make hasty changes to their production process, bringing in different shift patterns and new machines.

Fergus Loudon, Tunnock’s operating director, said: “The Games organisers contacted me last February and asked if we would be happy with them using our brand, but I had no idea what they were planning.

“When we sat down to watch the opening ceremony we were absolutely flabbergasted by what we saw.

“After that the phones started ringing off the hook. There was an enormous worldwide spike in the demand for teacakes.”

“The Commonwealth Games were absolutely phenomenal for us. Somebody said to me recently:’Did Tunnock’s support the Games or did the Games support Tunnock’s?’”

The opening ceremony, hosted at Celtic Park, was watched by 10 million in the UK, with an estimated global audience of 1 billion.

Tunnock’s was founded in 1890 by Thomas Tunnock, who paid £80 for a South Lanarkshire premises for his bakery.

The business launched its range of teacakes, caramel wafers and snowballs in the 1950s, and now exports millions of biscuits to the Middle East, North America, Australia, Japan, Africa and the Carribbean.

Ironically, at 106 calories each, the sales recorded since the hugely successful sporting showcase means an extra 1.6 billion calories consumed by Tunnocks customers as a result of a “healthy event”.

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